The Nine Go Shopping Episode III!
by Anoriel
Summary: FINISHED (for now) ~ Chapters 6 and 7 are up. Expect another installment soon, with a slightly different title.
1. Ch1: The Nine go to FAO Schwartz

The Nine Go Shopping – Episode III!!!

A/N: Thank you for all your wonderful reviews! I have composed the first chapter of Episode III, obviously, so please R/R some more.

This chapter is dedicated to the seven astronauts of the shuttle Columbia, which disintegrated on February 1, 2003.

***

Chapter 1

The Nine stagger into Sauron's throne room. "Master," says Eight, "why in the name of Elend – I mean, Sauron – did you give us rollerskates?"

"Do you question your master?!" cries Sauron.

"Um, yes, actually," says Seven.

"RAARRGHH!" Sauron roars, causing all of the Nazgul to jump. "How dare you challenge my intellect! It was _you_ who let the crafter of jewels get away! It is _you_ who should have your intellect challenged!"

"Well, excuse us for having to take a – pardon me – _crash course_ in rollerskates, just to get _your_ Ring of Power," says Two.

"You have no sense, the lot of you. I should have let you all die as mortals, rather than give you the Nine Rings. But no matter. Now that you have insulted me, you must find the Evil Crafter of Jewels! And bring me back the Ring!" Sauron bellows.

The Nine shrug. They are used to this. Sheesh, it wasn't as if they wouldn't have to get the Ring anyway. They turn to leave.

"Oh, and bring me back some shrimp tempura!" Sauron calls after them.

***

Eight is mumbling his routine curses and griping about what a bad employer Sauron is when they reach their destination – Chicago's FAO Schwartz (dun dun duh!). "Ooh," exclaims Nine. "I wonder what's inside." He responds to his question by opening the door and going into the building, and the other eight follow suit.

They are immediately terrified.

Racks and racks of toys! Oh the horror! Marbles, games, Lego kits, and – worst of all – stuffed animals!

Three flits from shelf to shelf of stuffed animals, weeping and weeping of remembered poll-yester. "Ah, no! Not the genetically-engineered-to-be-small-and-then-killed-for-profit-animals!" he sobs piteously. Eight drags him off by the collar.

They examine the contents of the store cautiously, looking for anything that might resemble a Ring. Surprisingly, they are quite disappointed in their search on the bottom floor and decide to head up the stairs. Well, instead the get inside the elevator, because they don't feel like walking all that way (heaven forbid).

They get out of the elevator at the top and walk to the Lego display. Incidentally, it is the Lord of the Rings set that is under the plastic box. The Nine eye it suspiciously, especially the little guy standing on top of the mountain. They pass it by after searching it for the Ring.

Then they see it.

A bin full of gold rings is sitting just five yards away. The Nazgul rush toward it and start to dump its contents all over the floor, yet again causing everyone within a radius of ten feet to ogle them peculiarly.

"Hold every one of them until you find one you can't put down," Eight starts to instruct his colleagues, but something catches his eye.

He plucks a scrap of white paper from the base of the pile of rings, unfolds it, and reads its contents. Then he curses loudly.


	2. Ch2: The Nine Make a Phone Call

The Nine Go Shopping – Episode III!!!

A/N: Blue Alien: In answer to your ponderings, I dedicated the first chapter to the Columbia astronauts because I wrote the story on the day of the crash, so I thought it seemed quite appropriate. It really doesn't have anything to do with the story.

OK, everybody, thanx for your reviews! Now on with the story, I am sure you're anxious, considering my lapse in imagination:

***

Chapter 2

"Hello you nine pathetic morons," Eight reads out loud, "I knew you would come looking for me here! I don't know how, but I knew it! MWAHAHA- anyway, perhaps I should introduce myself now, because you don't seem to have given me any time to do so before. I won't give you my name, for matters of security, but I _can _tell you that this is _my_ ring now and that you should bug off because I found it so I get to keep it. Wait, I didn't find it, did I? It came to me! It was a birthday present! Well, anyway, since I am so smart, I knew you would come looking for me and I decided to find a job somewhere else, leaving this note behind in a barrel of gold rings. Oh the irony!!

"So hasta la vista, morons – you'll never find me this time! MWAHAHAHAHAAA!!"

Here Eight finishes disgustedly.

Says Three, "I didn't know you were leaving the group, Eight. You didn't have to insult us."

"I am NOT leaving the group, you idiot, I was just reading this note!" screams Eight. The crowd never ceases to stare. "Now people, let's concentrate. Think like what's his face Sherlock Holmes. OK, so let's see. He's a jeweler, isn't he? So where would a jeweler go?"

"South Africa?" queries Five.

"No, you paramecium, a jewelry store," retorts Eight. "Now, if you look closely at this note, you can just make out a watermarked crest." He holds the note up to the light. There is indeed a watermark: Kay jewelers.

"Oh, great," says Six, "we have to go back to the mall."

"First," says Eight, "I'm telephoning Sauron. Let's go, riders."

They tromp out of FAO Schwartz.

***

Five minutes later, the Nine are crammed into a phone booth. Eight has to dial three times before he realizes he has to insert change, something which none of the Nazgul have. So instead they pawn off their cloaks and get a cell phone. (A/N: Please take a moment to picture the Nine in barrel costumes on the streets of a big city.) So Eight dials Sauron's number and waits for the evil dude to pick up.

"Hi, Saruman," Sauron says in a stupid valley-girl voice.

Eight is seething. "This is NOT Saruman, you twit, this is Nazgul Number Eight, and I have an urgent request!"

Sauron can be heard fumbling around. Finally he clears his throat. "What is it, minion? You know I am very busy."

"Yes, yes, I know the feeling. We know where the jeweler dude is."

"Oh, smart one, where did you find him?"

"I only said we know where he is, not that we'd found him," Eight grumbles. "Listen, Sauron, we had to sell our raiment so we could get a phone and call you. Will you just be obliged, or something, to grant us our request?"

"Oh, and what is your request?"

"We need you to get your boyfriend _Saruman_ to send in the Uruk-Hai," spits Eight (A/N: Thanx psychoman364!).

"Why should I?"

This had to be the last straw for poor Eight, who now screams, "Listen, buster, we are looking for your ring. This is not our problem. If you have something against our tactics, then, well, we'll just –"

Sauron, realizing that he is potentially losing his employees, suddenly becomes very obliging. "Oh, um, OK, the Uruks will be there tomorrow. Bye-bye!" Then he hangs up.

Eight turns to his fellow Nazgul and smiles evilly. This had to be worth the barrel costumes. Well, almost, anyway. 


	3. Ch3: Riddles in the Dark

The Nine Go Shopping – Episode III!!!

Chapter 3

The Nine locate the dreaded mall after an hour of searching. It is now dusk, and the sun is quickly dipping below the horizon. Since the Uruks aren't going to show up for at least another twelve hours, the Nazgul locate a deserted alley close to the mall and start a campfire (yeah, I know this is stupid). Unfortunately, it begins to rain, and all they get for a fire is a few glowing embers.

"@#$%," mutters Eight.

"@#$%," mutters a strange-but-not-so-strange voice.

"Who said that?" whispers Three.

"Who said that?" whispers the voice.

"Whatever it is, it's hiding in the trashcan over there," growls One.

"Whatever it is, it's hiding in the trashcan over – AACK!!" the voice screams as Eight lifts its owner up and out of the trashcan by its stringy black hair. "We – we didn't do nothing, no! We just wants –"

"SHUT UP!" screams Eight. He leans in toward the thing. "Who are you?" he asks ominously.

The creature whimpers, mutters a faint _gollum – gollum_, and is silent.

"Answer!" booms Eight.

Suddenly Five cries, "Wait, I know who he is! He's that ugly fellow we had to interrogate a few months ago, before the War of the Ring!" (A/N: For my own purposes, I have modified the story of LOTR so that when Smeagol – the creature is Smeagol, in case you didn't already know that – falls into the fires of Mount Doom with the Precious, he and the Ring are not destroyed, but instead cast onto opposite ends of another dimension – in this case, Earth. If for some reason you are confused, do not worry. It's OK to be confused. Anyway, back to the story.)

"No, that can't be right, you fool," says Eight. Then he cries, "Wait, I know! He's that ugly fellow we had to interrogate a few months ago, before the War of the Ring! Why didn't I see it before?"

Five is silently fuming.

Smeagol nods tersely, and again emits a faint _gollum – gollum_.

"Who sent you?" growls Eight.

Smeagol, who is frightened out of his wits, starts muttering to himself. "We is not telling them, no, we isn't, we is being good little Gollum, yes we is. They is not –"

"Be silent!" roars Eight. "Be silent and answer me!"

Smeagol is silent. Hey, Eight was asking for it, for Sauron's sake.

"Just answer me, will you? Now WHO SENT YOU?!" yells Eight.

"We was not sent, no, we wasn't. We falls through big mountain, yes, and we ends up here. They thinks we is dead, but we isn't. But we needs fishes, precious fishes, precious… fishes… _gollum – gollum_. We is not needing Precious, no, we isn't, Precious abandoned us, it did. We hates it… _gollum – gollum_."

"Hm, interesting story," Eight says casually. "You know what? I don't think you're telling us the real one."

"We is! We is! We is not needing Precious! Go away, leave us alone! We-*sniffle*-needs-fishes… _gollum – gollum_."

"Poor bugger," remarks Two.

"Pity, pity. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Now, Smeagol, we're going to offer you a deal. We'll take you back to the Misty Mountains, with a brand new ring that will make you invisible – but not obsessive – IF you help us find the One Ring. Is it a deal?" says Eight.

Smeagol thinks it over for about two seconds, and then says, "Yes, we takes offer, deal!"

"Good. Be here at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. The Uruks will be here by then," Eight smirks. He doesn't notice Smeagol blanch, and retreat back to the trashcan. In Eight's mind, this is brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Please review! Thanx, all.

~ Anoriel


	4. Ch4: The TEN Go Shopping?

The Nine Go Shopping – Episode III!!!

Chapter Four

"Now," says Eight, "the only question is what we are to do with ourselves until the Uruks show up."

"Truth or Dare!" says Two.

"No, you idiot, that's a stupid game," says Eight.

"Oh. Sorry. Ooh, I know, let's play telephone!" exclaims Two.

The Nazgul cheer, except for Eight, who gives a grudging "Fine."

"I start, I came up with it!" says Two.

So Two whispers something to Nine who whispers something to Three who giggles and whispers something to Five who then whispers something to Seven who whispers something to One who whispers something to Six who whispers something to Eight who scowls and whispers something to Four, who stands up and announces, "Two is a total idiot who can't come up with anything better to do than play this stupid, silly, asinine BORING game which all of us happen to know. That's what I heard."

Two says, "That's not anything like what I said: 'One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.' Eight, did you mess it up?"

Eight smirks.

"OK, we know you did. Let's do something else."

Everybody except Eight start thinking really hard to figure out something to do.

"Poker," says Seven.

"Charades," says Five.

"Risk," says Two.

"Barrel rolling?" says Three, who get a prompt "No way!" in response.

"Poker," says Six.

"Hey, I said poker!" retorts Seven.

"Ok, then, war!" snaps Six.

"Poker!"

"War!"

"Poker!"

"War!"

"Poker!"

"War!"

"Poker!"

"How about SHUTTING UP?!" screams a wraith who has suddenly appeared out of nowhere. We will call him Ten.

Eight applauds from across the alley.

"That's enough out of you!" Ten yells in his direction.

"Wh- wh- who are you?" whispers Four.

"I am your Fairy Godmother!" The Nine snicker at this. "No, seriously. Since you here are all bungling up things a bit more than necessary, Sauron and Saruman have both agreed to create a temporary wraith to lead you, to be called your *shudder* Fairy Godmother."

The Nine snicker some more. Ten scowls.

"Quite personally, I can see why they sent me. You are all obviously incompetent." Here Ten pauses to sniff conceitedly at their barrels. (Think of some stuck-up rich dude who has just been assigned to direct a bunch of raggedy peasants. This is Ten.)

"Now, since obviously you have nothing else to do except yell at each other and snicker at me, I insist you remain quiet for the rest of the night. If possible for you."

The Nazgul nod meekly. Three crawls off to hide behind a dumpster. Eight, for once, does not criticize him. He is too angry. _Sauron_, he thinks, _is going to get some major pay-back in the morning. When I can find the cell phone_.

***

A/N: Sorry this was so short, I know it took me long enough to post this.

Anyway, please R/R! You guys are great!

~ Anoriel


	5. Ch5: The Alley of Secrets

The Nine Go Shopping – Episode III!!!

Chapter 5

Nine of the Ten are sitting with their backs to the wall of one of the buildings bordering the empty alley. Ten is pacing back and forth in front of them, making sure they don't do anything stupid – that is, making sure they don't do anything.

So the original Nine sit there for hours, backs aching, barrels splintering, until…

Five is really uncomfortable. Ten is such an idiot, making him sit up against the wall like this. This sentiment is punctuated by the fact that Five is the only one who was forced to sit in the puddle of water which extends horizontally across the alley. At least, it looks like water. In this light, it's hard to tell. Five continues to seethe at Ten, making faces whenever he passes by, which Ten of course can't see through the dark. Five is sticking his tongue out when he hears something strange.

"_Come… come to me… Let me rip… Let me tear… Let me killllll…"_

Five sits bolt upright. The noise seems to be coming from the building behind him. He looks around. None of the others seem remotely troubled by this strange occurrence. Maybe it was just his imagination. Five releases his tension. Yes, that was it. He'd just imagined it, that's all.

Just as Five is settling back down, he hears it again. Louder.

"_…rip… tear… kill… soo hungry… for sooo long… kill… time to kill…"_

Five knows it isn't his imagination this time. He thinks. But anyway, it's time to alert the others.

"Did you hear that?" he whispers to Four, who is sitting right next to him.

"Hear what?" Four whispers back.

"That voice!" whispers Five rather loudly.

"What are you two at?!" screams Ten. "Shut up, the both of you!"

They shut up, but Ten proceeds to give all nine of them a lecture anyway. "You are so ungrateful! I come here to lead you so you don't get into any more trouble, and what do you do? You disobey me! I told you not to talk! I told you…"

Ten's tirade goes on, but Five hears something else. The voice. It's much louder this time.

"_…I smell blood… I SMELL BLOOD!!!"_

Suddenly Ten is cut off in the middle of his sentence. He splashes in the puddle of the stuff that looks like water. He doesn't get up.

Something rather reminiscent of a large, flexible sewer pipe slithers out of the nearest manhole. Now that Ten is dead, or at least appears to be so, for Nazgul can't die, the Nine are free to run to the back of the alley, which is just what they do. They don't notice the snake turn its head in Five's direction.

"_Thanksss, amigo."_

And with that, it slithers off down the sidewalk.

***

The next morning, the Nine all climb out of their respective dumpsters and find Ten still motionless on the ground. It's almost funny. He has his arms up and his mouth open wide, as if he's still giving them a lecture. They leave him there and head for the mall.

They sit down in the parking lot and Eight takes out his cell phone. He dials up Sauron and waits.

Sauron picks up. "Yes?" He is obviously aware that Saruman is not the only one who calls him anymore.

"Sauron! Where are the Uruk-Hai?" Eight barks into the receiver.

"They're coming, my inferior lackey. Just be patient, will you?" Sauron hangs up.

"Two! Go scout out the evil jeweler dude!" screams Eight. Two reluctantly gets up off the asphalt and heads toward the mall.

The rest of the Nine wait for the orkish army.

***

Short chapter, isn't it? They all are. But thank you for your reviews.

~ Anoriel


	6. Ch6: Two, LeapFrog, and the Lovers' Dis...

The Nine Go Shopping - Episode III!!!

Chapter 6

The Nazgul realize that people are probably going to notice several men in barrel costumes outside a mall, so they sit down at the edge of the nearest sidewalk. They fit completely inside the barrels, so they are well hidden.

Two, however, is having a rather difficult time of it inside the mall. As usual, everyone is staring at him, and though one would think he would be quite used to it by now, he is not.

He sees a security camera television up on the ceiling. Wondering what it could possibly be, he stands in front of it. He moves slightly to the left. The facsimile of him on the screen moves slightly to the right. He lifts his foot. On screen, he lifts his foot. He jumps up and down...

* * *

Eight is growing impatient. Where is Two? Where is the orc army? Where is his cell phone, so he can occupy himself by annoying Sauron some more? Where is...

* * *

- Isengard - 

"Sauron! I told you fifty times! My whole army has been depleted because of your stupid Ring War!" cries Saruman Reincarnate over the Palantir.

"Well now I have another Ring War, _Sharky_. Honestly, I thought you weren't joking when you said you'd give me anything!" Sauron retorts.

"I wasn't! But I am unable to give you the Uruk-Hai now, because it so happens the Uruk-Hai are DEAD!" roars Saruman Reincarnate. "And it's your fault, too, so don't go blaming me if you can't get your Ring back! Where are _your_ orcs, anyway?"

As the reader can tell, Sauron and Saruman Reincarnate are having a row commonly referred to as a "lovers' dispute."

Sauron and Saruman Reincarnate turn their heads toward the ceiling. "We are not!" Then they continue arguing.

* * *

- Mall - 

Two does some jumping jacks. The Two on the screen does some jumping jacks. Two back-flips. The on-screen Two back-flips. Two does the Macarena...

* * *

- Parking Lot -

The other Eight are amusing themselves by playing leap-frog. Except Eight, of course, who eyes the commotion from the top of his barrel. The shoppers outside the mall are doing the same, though without the top of the barrel.

"Wow, look at the jumping barrels," says a little girl.

* * *

- Isengard -

The lovers' dispute is drawing to a close.

"All right, all right, I can get you an army, but it'll take three weeks at the least," Saruman Reincarnate yells hoarsely.

"Three weeks? _Three weeks?!_ Do you not understand the situation here? I have no army, my Nazgul are threatening mutiny, and my Ring of Power is in the hands of a half-crazed Evil Jeweler Dude who is threatening to take over the world! (A/N: Sauron's worried about a crazy maniac who is threatening to take over the world? Notice the irony here?) And it's going to take you THREE LOUSY WEEKS to assemble an army of Super-Orcs?" Sauron explodes.

OK, so maybe it isn't drawing to a close.

"Yep, three weeks IF you're lucky," replies Saruman Reincarnate.

"Grrrrr..."

"Hey, don't blame me! It isn't exactly easy to get these creatures to reproduce, if you know what I mean," says Saruman Reincarnate.

Yes, Saruman Reincarnate, we know exactly what you mean.

* * *

- Mall -

Two is just watching himself make funny faces when a security guard taps him on the shoulder.

"Hey man, are you OK?"

"Huh?" says Two bemusedly. "Oh - ah, yeah."

"OK..." the security guard walks off.

Two heads into the bowels of the mall (A/N: Such a lovely expression, the bowels of the mall, don't you think?), realizing that he has forgotten his job. He gets into the very heart, the hub of the mall's wheel, where all the stores branch off from. He looks hurriedly for Kay Jewelers. No luck.

Two heads for the nearest escalator. He is rather unfamiliar with the workings of escalators, and gets an unpleasant surprise when he steps onto this one. He wobbles a bit, but regains his balance. Then he proceeds to annoy all the people behind him who are trying to go as quickly as they can, and are finding themselves stopped by a "freak in a barrel outfit," as one rather plump woman put it.

Two gets off at the top of the escalator, right in front of (Dun-dun-dun!) Kay Jewelers. He jumps to the side, so as not to be noticed by any certain Evil Jeweler Dudes at the counter.

He rolls across the aisle, bumping up against the wall which the jewelry store is located on. He inches toward the store and peeks around the corner.

There he is! The Evil Jeweler Dude! Two runs back and locates an elevator, deciding to skip the escalator this time.

Then he is stopped by an invisible something, which seems to grab him like a magnet.

* * *

What is the strange force holding Two back from the elevator? Why is Eight such a stiff? Will Sauron and Saruman Reincarnate ever resolve their lovers' dispute? Will the Ring ever be retrieved? Will I ever get my allowance? Wait - not that. Find out with chapter 7! Which I am posting now, so you don't have to wait!

~ Anoriel


	7. Ch7: The Nine Get Arrested

The Nine Go Shopping - Episode III!!!

Chapter Seven

In our last chapter, our heroes were having some slight problems. Two, sent to scout for the Evil Jeweler Dude, has been held back by an unseen force, while his compatriots outside are attracting a rather large crowd. Back at Middle Earth, Sauron and his boyfriend Saruman Reincarnate are battling it out over the Uruk-Hai.

What is the strange force holding Two back from the elevator? Why is Eight such a stiff? Will Sauron and Saruman Reincarnate ever resolve their lovers' dispute? Will the Ring ever be retrieved? Will Anoriel ever get her allowance? Find out now - in the seventh installment of The Nine Go Shopping - Episode III!!!

(Insert corny theme song here.)

- Mall - 

Two struggles to get to the elevator and fails miserably, ending up with a scraped knee for his pains.

Suddenly: "MWAHAHAHAHA!!!" An all-too-familiar laugh can be heard from the general direction of Kay Jewelers. The Evil Jeweler Dude is standing up on the counter, brandishing the Ring of Power in his right hand. "You cannot escape the power of the Ring!" he cries wickedly, like the Evil Jeweler Dude he is. "So don't even try!"

"You'll never get away with this, human!" roars Two, still struggling against the power of the Ring.

"Oh, but I will! And you can't stop me! MWAHAHAHAHA!" He jumps down from the counter, still brandishing the Ring. "Now tell me, pitiful scum, where are your eight little friends?"

* * *

- Parking Lot -

It just so happens that seven of the other Nazgul are still playing leap-frog, with Eight looking on disdainfully. Ten would also be looking on disdainfully, but he doesn't count, of course. They are still behaving in this manner when Two mummy-walks out of the building.

Eight runs angrily over to him. "Well?" he mutters. Two is so late. If looks could kill...

"Ha!" cries a voice. The Evil Jeweler Dude skips merrily out of the building, now with Eight under the power of the Ring. It doesn't take him long to snag the rest of them. He drags them with him on an invisible leash toward a large freight truck. He opens up the back and forces them inside. He shuts it and locks it and stops brandishing the Ring.

"Whew," he says. "All that Ring-brandishing can really take it out of a guy. Time for a spot of lunch, I think." He is heading back toward the mall when a small whitish ugly _thing _hits him. Then, in a voice we all know and love:

"Rarrgh! Precious is not yours! We kills you, we does!"

* * *

- Isengard -

"Sauron, you're the all-powerful villain here, can't you just conjure up the Uruk-Hai?" asks Saruman Reincarnate rather irritably.

"Me? You're the wizard! See if _you_ can conjure up an army of Super-Orcs!" scoffs Sauron.

"You idiot! My staff and powers are gone, remember?" Saruman Reincarnate scoffs right back.

Sauron can be heard cussing in the Dark Tongue on the other end.

"Fine. Three weeks. But if the Nazgul quit, and the Ring is lost, then I can safely blame it on you, Saruman," Sauron says resignedly.

"Good. And remember, it's _Saruman Reincarnate_."

* * *

- Parking Lot -

Smeagol and the Evil Jeweler Dude are battling it out on the pavement.

"Give us the Precious!"

"Never! Mwahaha!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!" cries Smeagol, and, with an evil grin, he puts his bony fingers around the Jeweler Dude's neck and tightens them. The Evil Jeweler Dude's face turns blue.

The fat lady who complained about Two's barrel calls the police.

Smeagol picks the Ring out of the Evil Jeweler Dude's pocket and scampers toward the locked truck. He unbolts it, and the Nazgul walk dazedly out. They are free. They have the Ring, at least after they wrest it from Smeagol. Can it get any better?

No. It can only get worse.

Just then, a couple of police cars screech into the parking lot. About four policemen get out of the cars and approach Smeagol and the Nazgul. Three of them start handcuffing the lot of them. The other starts talking.

"You have the right to remain silent..."

* * *

That is the end of The Nine Go Shopping - Episode III!!! Sorry to leave it at such a cliffhanger.

Be happy. I am going to write another installment. Look for it in the near future.

Until then - you know the routine - review!

~ Anoriel

By the way, I never did get my allowance.


	8. The Pointless Little Epilogue That Shoul...

The Nine Go Shopping - Episode III!!!

The Pointless Little Epilogue That Shouldn't Really Count as a Chapter

The cloaked man lay face up in the alley. His hands were in the air, and his mouth was open as though he was giving a lecture. A cat sniffed him rather dubiously. Unseen by the outside world, the cat - morphed into a woman! She pointed a stick at the mouth and said, "Albus, you should get down here now."

Two seconds later, a man with a long silver beard materialized in the alley. "You are right, Minerva," he said. "This is serious."

"Should we take him, Albus?" said the woman.

"I am afraid so," he said. "Otherwise he will likely never recover."

Without a word, the two picked up the frozen man, waved their sticks, and disappeared.

* * *

Whatever.

~ Anoriel


End file.
